What is your favorite salad?

[purplewiz]

Thai Beef Salad. It goes by different names at different Thai restaurants, but it's sliced beef, tomatoes, cucumbers, some kind of onions, and an in your face dressing of lime, fish sauce, sugar, hot peppers, garlic and ginger.

I love it so much that when our local wonderful Thai place went under I spent a considerable amount of time researching recipes and balancing amounts to get it just right.

Wilted lettuce is right up there.

Marcia.

[chow guy]

Wow, I thought the answer to this question was easy - COBB - but then when I really started thinking about it things became more complicated....  So my list is all rated #1, because they all are fantastic for their own reasons.

1.  Steak salad w/ arugula & romaine.  Rare/bloody steak, blue cheese, bacon....

1.  Cobb salad, with everything under the sun on it.

1.  Green Papaya salad, made "non-whitey THAI hot".

1.  Caprese, but only in late August with stunning tomatoes.

1.  "The Wedge" with fantastic gorgonzola and that icy crunch.

Yikes.  I do loves me some salad.  Not that that's a bad thing, of course. 

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

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I live on salad and make it out of just about anything these warm summer days but, all of your choices are on my top ten list. I also have a very warm spot for Salade Frizee au Lardon.

[Nina C.]

This salad from Gourmet is a sure-fire winner.

The salad I make most often is lettuce or mixed greens (never iceberg) with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, a balsamic vinaigrette and sometimes feta or other protein thrown on top.

[Sugarella]

Nostalgic for me, because this is one of the first things I ever cooked for myself when I was first on my own, and it was a happy accident.

Cubed bacon fried til just cooked, removed from pan, drain most of the fat. Scallops and diced raddicchio are then sauteed in the same pan.

All of the above tossed with fresh spinach until it's just warmed and starting to wilt, then an oil-less dressing of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic, tossed again. The garlic MUST be raw.

Then add sliced mushrooms, avacado, cherry tomatoes, lima beans, and whatever else is handy.

....and then the one I eat most often is spinach, hard boiled egg, Krab-with-a-K, mushrooms, cheese cubes, and canned drained veggies like hearts of palm if I have them. Dressing for that is olive oil & lemon juice. (Because I suspect the bacon fat salad dressing isn't really all that good for me.)

Edit: typoo.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Sugarella (log)

[C. sapidus]

If I only had one salad to eat, I’d opt to spend a lot of time deciding which Thai salad is best: som tam, larb gai, grilled beef with mint and basil . . .

[judiu]

Oh, heck, I love 'em all, as long as blue cheese is not involved. As far as I'm concerned, the only place for that is in a dressing for celery sticks, and MAYBE not even then!

[ninetofive]

I'm in the Cobb Salad fan club. Wilted lettuce comes second. Followed by Nicoise.

Does anybody know the history or origin of Cobb Salad?

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Anyone else thinking of the Curb Your Enthusiasm Cobb Salad episode?

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Anyone else thinking of the Curb Your Enthusiasm Cobb Salad episode? 

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Nearly as good as the "where are the caterers' leftovers" episode!

I can't pick one salad. That's like picking one pair of shoes, one restaurant, one beach. Heck, that's like picking one child!

Edited June 23, 2006 by FabulousFoodBabe (log)

[shrek]

Nicoise salad for me. Yummy green beans, grilled tuna, olives, tarragon dressing, baby potatoes. I think I have to go make one of these right now.

[Lan4Dawg]

Nicoise salad for me.  Yummy green beans, grilled tuna, olives, tarragon dressing, baby potatoes. I think I have to go make one of these right now.

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I had such a "Jones" for a Nicoise the other day that I purchased all of the ingredients on the way home and made it as soon as possible. I suppose it was b/c the mercury had just topped 90* for the fourth day in a row but it was ideal.

As for favorite salad----depends on the day/time/setting/season/&c. The Nicoise was just a craving and I have no idea what prompted it.

[Lan4Dawg]

There's this layered salad that I just adore.  Its got baby spinach, peas,  sour cream,  red onions, cheddar cheese,  bacon, and olives.  So my fav is either that, or spinach drizzled with hot bacon grease and lemon juice.

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Fuss refers to that as the "Protestant salad" b/c a version of it shows up at just about every Protestant church social we have ever attended. I make a similar one called a "Weeping Salad" that must sit over night. It is good and every one raves about it. It is fr/ Cane River Cooking (I think) but uses Swiss cheese, red onion, mayo, &c.

[barolo]

Bread salad with a rustic bread, torn into chunks, fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped red onions, sweet butter lettuce, salt & pepper and a drizzle of fresh walnut oil and a spritz of one of the very old, very sweet balsamic vinegars.

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This sounds just right for me too.

[Jill Chamberlin]

As a child, I looked forward to leftover salad the most and I still like to recapture that memory and that taste. I grew up in California in the 50s and 60s; my mother was a great cook and loved the bounty of California produce. My parents gave generous dinner parties--lots of dressedup grownups laughing too loud, wearing a martini buzz--and the leftovers the next morning were the best: barely droopy romaine lettuce cloaked in aged-overnight avocado/oil and vinegar/a little tomato acid/ plain and simple the best taste for breakfast....especially capped off with a tiny, leftover cherry tart.

[rockhopper]

1.  Green Papaya salad, made "non-whitey THAI hot".

http://tenacity.net

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What does "non-whitey" mean?

[judiu]

1.  Green Papaya salad, made "non-whitey THAI hot".

http://tenacity.net

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What does "non-whitey" mean?

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Hotter than s**t, as in for a non-occidental, I think. Hot enough for "native" tastes.

[marlena spieler]

purslane, though i suppose that is more of a salad ingredient!

i'm just back from gaziantep, turkey, where we ate purslane salad twice a day until i wanted to scream enough! but i do love it: tangy, refreshing, albeit a tad slimey.

[divalasvegas]

So many of my favorites have already been mentioned, such as cobb salad and salad nicoise. Like FabulousFoodBabe said, there are so many salads that I love, it's hard to choose just one. However, if I had to choose one that I could easily eat several times a week, it would be the salad platter I've had several times at a local Moroccan restaurant that included an array of salads: beet, carrot, potato, chopped salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, hot peppers), green bean, eggplant, and lentils. Each of these beautifully plated and served with warm loaves of Moroccan bread, butter and harissa.

[judiu]

So many of my favorites have already been mentioned, such as cobb salad and salad nicoise.  Like FabulousFoodBabe said, there are so many salads that I love, it's hard to choose just one.  However, if I had to choose one that I could easily eat several times a week, it would be the salad platter I've had several times at a local Moroccan restaurant that included an array of salads: beet, carrot, potato, chopped salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, hot peppers), green bean, eggplant, and lentils.  Each of these beautifully plated and served with warm loaves of Moroccan bread, butter and harissa.

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Forgot to mention one of my favorite favorites: tabouli! Love it, but it appears to me to have a high glycemic index; shoots my sugars all to he!!.

[apronstrings]

Can break it down to three, but no less. Depending on my mood, I'll drool for:

Romaine and spinach with pears, walnuts, goat cheese and an orange vinaigrette

Sliced steak on crispy romaine with bleu cheese, onions and candied pecans

A nice Panzanella with a crusty artisan bread, beefsteak tomatoes and sea salt

Got a thing for the sweet and salty combination

[divalasvegas]

So many of my favorites have already been mentioned, such as cobb salad and salad nicoise.  Like FabulousFoodBabe said, there are so many salads that I love, it's hard to choose just one.  However, if I had to choose one that I could easily eat several times a week, it would be the salad platter I've had several times at a local Moroccan restaurant that included an array of salads: beet, carrot, potato, chopped salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, hot peppers), green bean, eggplant, and lentils.  Each of these beautifully plated and served with warm loaves of Moroccan bread, butter and harissa.

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Forgot to mention one of my favorite favorites: tabouli! Love it, but it appears to me to have a high glycemic index; shoots my sugars all to he!!.

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Damn, judiu that's too bad. The version of tabbouleh I learned to make contained a whole lotta parsley, a small amount of bulgur wheat, scallions/green onions, and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. The family who prepared it this way were Palestinians from Jerusalem. Seems like the only thing in the dish that would really send your sugars out of control would be the bulgur in versions containing a large amount of bulgur and just a little parsley. Could that be the problem?

[pen_h]

Watercress, Belgian endive, oranges, and cilantro, in a very light orange juice/olive oil dressing. Refreshing and hearty, a good winter salad.

Pear and fennel with lots of shavings of parmigiano, with as much fruity olive oil and fresh-ground tellicherry pepper as you think you can get away with. Warms you up a little; a good reason to look forward to fall.

Arugula, mozzarella, and (once again) olive oil and pepper

Any Thai salad, although I usually end up with the green papaya at a minimum. Thai food is too addictive. And it should be hot enough that it's "so good you can't breathe"

[Misa]

I had a hard time deciding, but in the end, I came up with my "Top 5 to Have Forever", in order:

1. My mother's potato salad. She uses a mayo/sour cream combo that tastes absolutely wonderful. We both cook for the same place and it sells extremely well - everybody's excited when she makes it.

2. Caprese salad. My husband wouldn't be very grateful for this, though - he's allergic to raw tomatoes. So, I generally only get to have it in restaurants. Oh, sure, I COULD buy it and make it for me only, but... hey I might have to do that soon.

3. That jello-cool-whip salad, which is pretty nostalgic for me.

4. Fruit salad, made with whipped cream. Because Thanksgiving would be pretty sad without it.

5. Buffalo chicken salad, with blue cheese dressing. Yum!

But, truth be told, I'd be really sad if we had to limit it to only kind (or even 5 kinds) of salad. Salad is such a wonderous and varied food.

[purplewiz]

Can I add one to my list?

Fresh greens, still warm from my garden. Whatever's big enough to be harvested (or happens to be in the way), washed, spun dry, topped with anything and dressed with just about anything. Those greens have flavor and texture and assert themselves in a salad.

I could eat nothing else but fresh picked lettuces for dinner and be very happy.

Marcia.

(of course, if there was a homegrown tomato to top them, it would be gilding the lily)

[FistFullaRoux]

Had mine today. From a salad bar at Pizza Hut. Someone else was buying lunch.

Plain jane Iceberg lettuce, (or the mix they make with the shredded purple cabbage and carrot for color), diced hard boiled egg, bacon (not the baco-bits stuff. Real bacon or a reasonable facsimilie thereof chopped fine), shredded cheese (cheddar will do nicely, or anything but blue), croutons, and Thousand Island dressing.

Fairly simple, easy to find or modify (like baby spinach subbing for the iceberg) depending on what's available, and a nice balance in flavors. Not too many components, no competing flavors or textures, just simple gut floss with harmonious add-ons.

A close second, the classic Ceasar. An old fashioned Waldorf or carrot/raisin salad is nice sometimes too. And to round it off for a top 5 thing, believe it or not, Emeril's roasted potato salad. Garlic roasted potato chunks with a mayo/creole mustard sauce. I've been known to use a version of this as an Hors d' Oeuvres, serving the garlic potatoes without dressing them, with a mayo/mustard/lemon only mixture sauce for dipping.

Edited July 1, 2006 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[H. du Bois]

Baby greens with a real vinaigrette, probably (I'll eat just about any dressed uncooked green as long as it doesn't have glop on it).

A salad that sticks out in my mind though, for completely turning my head around when I hadn't expected it to, was one made with roasted beets, blue cheese, arugula, toasted walnuts, and a vinaigrette made of walnut oil and sherry wine vinegar. I had always hated beets and blue cheese, and thought, "oh god, I've got to gag this down and pretend I like it," when a friend served it to me. Oddly, the sum of all those flavors worked so well that it cancelled out the objections I had to the parts. I ended up having seconds.